Double Concerto (Chamber Concerto no. 3)

Double Concerto (Chamber Concerto no. 3)

Double Concerto (Chamber Concerto no. 3)

for flute, bassoon and chamber orchestra


Program Notes

  1. Vivo
  2. Espressivo, non troppo lento
  3. Presto

I first met Kathy and Matt Karr, and admired their playing, when we all used to play in a summer music festival in Mexico City. The festival was a great chance for young musicians to get to know each other, both on- and off-stage (the less said about those parties at Murcia 10 the better, perhaps).

As the classical music world is indeed a small one, the three of us ended up in Louisville, they playing in the Louisville Orchestra and teaching at the University of Louisville, and me teaching composition and theory at UofL. They were among the first people in Louisville to ask me to write a piece for them. I composed my Concertino à Tre for flute, bassoon and piano for them, which they subsequently performed and recorded. In exchange Matt used his woodworking skills to build a hutch for our house. Some years later I had the idea of writing a double concerto for them, which resulted in this piece.

The concerto is fairly conventional in structure, with two fast, not-too-serious movements framing a more lyric and dramatic slow movement. Although clearly a concerto, the orchestra does much more than just accompany in many passages, and I have tried to use the colors available in this combination (percussion, harp, keyboard [piano and celeste] and strings) to maximum advantage.

This Double Concerto is dedicated with admiration and friendship to the Karrs.